…says Nigeria must treat mental health as national survival issue, not luxury

By Chioma Obinna

The Program Associate,Nigerian Mental Health, Ms. Deborah Omage, has warned that Nigeria is facing a “silent front line of national survival” as economic hardship, insecurity, and climate change combine to push millions into despair and mental distress.

Omage made this known while addressing participants at the Vanguard Mental Health Summit 3.0, held at the Civic Centre, Lagos, on Thursday, with the theme “Taming the Rising Tide of Suicide in Nigeria” and sub-theme “Substance and Silence: Unmasking the Dual Crisis of Addiction and Suicide.”

She opened her remarks with a haunting story of a young Nigerian farmer who had lost everything — his small business, his home, and his hope  after years of economic strain, power failures, and repeated flooding.

“He said quietly, ‘I no longer see a future that includes me,’” 

Omage recalled. “That story could have come from almost any state in Nigeria today.”

According to her, Nigeria’s mental health burden is now being driven by a dangerous mix of poverty, insecurity, and climate disruption — three forces that, she said, are “no longer separate challenges but an ecosystem of risk.”

“Mental health has become one of the silent front lines of our national struggle for survival,” she said. 

“When jobs vanish, debts rise, and families cannot afford essentials, the mind bears the weight first. Poverty fuels despair, and despair deepens poverty.”

Citing data from the World Health Organization (WHO), Omage noted that more than 720,000 people die by suicide globally every year, adding that Nigeria records an estimated 16,000 suicide deaths annually, a figure she described as “a national emergency that rarely makes headlines.”

Omage argued that reducing poverty is one of the most effective forms of mental health intervention, calling on policymakers to view economic policy as mental-health policy.

“Cash-transfer programmes and social protection initiatives have been proven to reduce anxiety and depression,” she said. “When people can meet their basic needs, resilience begins to return.”

She further highlighted how insecurity and climate change exacerbate trauma, pointing to studies showing that one in five people in conflict-affected communities suffer mental health conditions requiring care, while flood victims face up to four times the risk of anxiety and depression compared to others.

“Insecurity leaves more than physical scars. It steals peace of mind and dismantles systems that could heal,” she said. “And climate change is not causing abstract eco-anxiety in Nigeria — it is causing immediate trauma, displacing families, and destroying livelihoods.”

Omage commended the National Assembly for the ongoing deliberation of the National Suicide Prevention Bill 2024, sponsored by Senator Asuquo Ekpenyong, describing it as “a landmark step from punishment to compassion.”

“Right now, anyone who attempts suicide in Nigeria can face up to one year in prison,” she said. “That approach treats crisis as crime. The new bill recognises that suicide attempts are cries for help, not offences, and it proposes 24-hour crisis hotlines, trained responders, and aftercare services.”

She revealed that the Nigerian Mental Health Association played a major role in drafting and advocating for the bill, including leading its translation into Yoruba, Hausa, Igbo, and Pidgin to ensure inclusivity and understanding across communities.

“This is a first in our legislative history — translating a national mental health bill into four major languages,” Omage said. “It shows that empathy can become legislation, and legislation can become protection.”

Omage called for urgent interventions at three key levels — policy, health systems, and community engagement — stressing that only coordinated, evidence-based action can stem Nigeria’s rising tide of suicide and mental illness.

She urged policymakers to expand social protection and integrate mental health into disaster response; health leaders to embed mental health care into primary health systems; and communities to fight stigma and build support networks.

“Mental health is not a luxury for peaceful times. It is the foundation of resilience in turbulent ones. We must combine compassion with evidence and policy with humanity.”

Omage ended her address with an appeal for public support of NMH’s ongoing petition to decriminalise attempted suicide, urging Nigerians to join the campaign at www.nigerianmentalhealth.org/#SuicideNotCrimeNG.

“If we act together — with empathy, evidence, and courage — we can build a Nigeria where every mind has room to heal, to hope, and to dream again,” she concluded.